SAE: Three Appetizers!

Only two more meetings left! :( I looked up a ton of new recipes this week and made three different appetizers for SAE. I think I am the first sweetheart to ever make a seafood dish, and it was delicious.

When I am searching for recipes for SAE meetings, I look for flavor, easiness, and quickness. I need something that the boys will enjoy, but also that I'll want to make again.

My favorite part about cooking today was when Ryan and I made homemade pastry shells!

HEB ran out of pre-made pastry shells, so I bought fillo paper and we made them from scratch. They are pretty easy, but really messy. We just followed the directions (for the most part) on the box and came out with some pretty good looking pastry shells and pastry crackers (aka: wantons for another recipe!).

First, we cut up the paper into squares, we had different sizes because we weren't sure which size worked. We dipped them in butter and wiped off the excess butter. Then we formed the paper into the mini-muffin tins and baked for 10 minutes! We thought it wouldn't turn out at all... But they did!

The three appetizers I made for this meeting were:
1. Spicy Seafood Shells
2. Cheese Blintzes
3. Blue Cheese Biscuits

Spicy Seafood Shells

This was so delicious, and the favorite of the guys at meeting. In the future, I think I might add a little more spice. But still so delicious this way!

 Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
• 2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2/3 cup shredded Swiss cheese
• 1/3 cup chopped onion (about half an onion)
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tsp hot pepper sauce (tobasco)
• 3-5 dashes Old-Bay Seasoning
• 1 (4 oz) small shrimp, frozen and thawed, or canned and drained (if you want to use a little more... Go ahead!)
• 1 (8 oz) can crab meat, drained and flaked
• 3 (2.1 oz) packages mini fillo tart shells
• paprika 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a medium baking sheet.

In a medium bowl, mix together mayo, Parmesan cheese, Swiss cheese, onion, Worcestershire sauce, spice, and hot pepper sauce. Gently stir in shrimp and crab meat.

Form fillo dough into shells. Fill shells with the mixture.

Arrange stuffed shells on baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven 7 to 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. 

Sprinkle with paprika before serving. 

Cheese Blintzes

The best words to describe this sweet snack is heavenly. I know the sour cream sounds weird, but when you mix it with the blintzes when they're hot out of the oven, they are to die for. They were so good, I even forgot to take a picture of them... Ryan and I are already planning on making them at the lake next weekend!

Ingredients:

• 1 (1 lb) loaf white bread
• 4 Tbl white sugar
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened
• 2 tsp milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 pint sour cream

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray. 

Trim crusts from bread and roll the slices flat. 

In a small bowl combine sugar and cinnamon to make a mixture. 

 

In a large mixing bowl, mix softened cream cheese, milk and vanilla until smooth. Spread this mixture onto each slice of flattened bread. Roll each bread slice up. Dip bread/cream cheese rolls in melted butter, roll the blintzes immediately in the sugar-cinnamon mixture. Cut rolls in half. Arrange the blintzes on the prepared cookie sheet. 

  

Bake for 10 minutes. Serve with sour cream. 

Blue Cheese Biscuits

These little biscuits are really easy and inexpensive. I had all of the ingredients on hand, and although I used blue cheese... You can try this recipe with any kind of cheese, that melts well. It was a great snack/appetizer, but you could also make it as a side/roll substitution.

 

Ingredients:

• 1 (10 oz) package refrigerated biscuit dough
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 5 oz blue cheese, crumbled

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.. Lightly grease a 9-inch pie plate, or baking sheet, with non-stick cooking spray. 

Slice each biscuit into quarters, arrange then in the prepared pie plate. Pour melted butter over the biscuits, then sprinkle the biscuits with blue cheese. 

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. 

ENJOY!